Thousands rally in support of President Pavel on Prague’s main squares
Thousands of people gathered on Prague’s Old Town Square and Wenceslas Square on Sunday afternoon to demonstrate their support for President Pavel in a dispute with Foreign Minister Petr Macinka over the president’s refusal to appoint Filip Turek as minister of the environment.
The dispute escalated on Tuesday when, at an extraordinary press conference, Mr. Pavel said that the foreign minister had sent him text messages via his adviser Petr Kolář that the president considers an attempt at blackmail.
Amid growing tension over the incident, the opposition parties have initiated a vote of no-confidence in the Babiš administration due to take place on Tuesday and the civic association Million Moments for Democracy organized a protest rally in support of the head of state.
President Pavel thanked all those who turned up to take part in the demonstration. On the network X, he said he appreciates people’s readiness to raise their voice in defence of decency, truth and mutual respect. Czech society, he said, is capable of standing clearly and decisively for the right cause at the right moment.
Speaking on Czech Television on Sunday, Minister Macinka said he respects the right of opposition voters to express their views. However, he added that they should also respect the outcome of the general elections held four months ago, in which, according to him, there were not enough voters to bring to power the political representation now embodied by Petr Pavel.
Prime Minister Andrej Babiš is attempting to calm the storm and has called for both sides to settle the dispute away from the limelight.
President Pavel invited the prime minister to Prague Castle for talks on Wednesday, but is refusing to meet with Foreign Minister Macinka.
In his turn, Mr. Macinka said on Czech Television on Sunday, that in view of the circumstances, the Foreign Ministry has no choice but to ignore the president, underlining that it is the government which is responsible for molding the country’s foreign policy.
The organizers of Sunday's protest, attended by an estimated 90, 000 people, announced that the Prague demonstration will be followed by further events scheduled for 15 February across the country.
According to Million Moments for Democracy, 600,000 people have already signed a petition in support of the president.
